Saving Violet
by airemc
Summary: After a tragedy leaves 19 year old Violet on a downward spiral, a move to the scenic Coloradan mountains could be just what she needs. But after a run in with the wrong crowd it looks like a certain Benedict brother has a hard task when it comes to saving Violet, especially when the biggest enemy he faces, is Violet herself.
1. Prologue

Hi everyone. I absolutely adore the Finding Sky series, and the Benedict brothers are just fabulous. I really wanted to write my own FanFiction as I couldn't bear to see Will (my favourite Benedict ;) ) without a Soul Finder for much longer. I hope you enjoy my story, it will be a bit dark at times but I promise I'll try not to make it to awfully sad! I'll try to upload at least once a week- any reviews would be amazing and any comments or advice would be welcome with open arms :)

Disclaimer: I sadly do not own any of the Benedicts or their soul finders, apart from Violet who is my own creation :) the rest is all down to the fabulous Joss Stirling.

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**Prologue**

The bitter wind of the dark night howled in her ears, as the girl lay crumpled on the damp forest floor. The deep tear above her eyebrow was gushing blood, dripping down over her dark eyes, her vision hazed with crimson. She struggled to her feet, frozen in the silk shift dress that was now torn, exposing her slender legs to the hostile night air; her feet bare. In the dirt lay a single silver diamante encrusted Louboutin, scuffed with mud and missing half of its heel.

Struggling out of the clearing and towards the highway the girl gave a muffled shriek. The car, a monstrous SUV, had toppled over twice before coming to a stop in the middle of the road. Vehicles had screeched to a halt as drivers jumped out, cell phones pressed to their ears. In the drivers seat a figure could be seen, still strapped in, eerily hanging upside down. Women were screaming and men were surrounding the area as police and ambulance arrived at the scene.

No one noticed the young girl staggering to the centre of the highway, everyone too busy watching the fire crew arrive, opening their compartments to reveal tools and hammers. Watching as the back passengers were cut out of the car, morbid fascination causing them to edge closer before being told to move on by the police.

No one noticed the young girl in the baby blue dress.

No one noticed until she collapsed on the tarmac, a heart-wrenching wail erupting from deep inside her.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

* * *

Touching down at Denver International Airport, I glanced out at the sleet streaming down the cabin window. Having only spent my summers in Colorado before and living in Los Angeles for most of my life, to say the weather was a shock to me was an understatement. I glanced across the aisle at my parents, my moms face mirroring mine as we looked out at the climate of our new home. My father, however, had a gleam in his eyes that I had not glimpsed even a hint of in over six months.

My dad had grown up in Colorado, and it was to his childhood home that we were now destined. Since my grans death, three years ago, my parents had been debating as to the fate of the chalet style home she had left behind. My mom, a city girl born and raised, had been adamant that a move to the High Rockies was not an option and despite enjoying my vacations there as a child, I was very much on her side. Selling the place was also not an option, my dad had constantly reminded my mom and it had been the source of many screaming matches in our house ever since. However after the incidents of the past year, a fresh start was decided the best option for our family and before I knew it we had been packed up and set off, on the way to our new hometown of Wrickenridge.

"Violet!" my mother -Amelia, stressed and demanding- interrupted my daydreaming, "Stop standing around and help us load the car!"

"It's fine Meel, all under control", my dad- Max, laid back and lenient, the total opposite of my mom- turned and grinned at me, "Go wait in the car Vi, you'll freeze otherwise"

I realised I'd subconsciously followed my parents off the plane, through baggage reclaim and was now standing beside a Vauxhall Corsa, whilst my dad juggled the bags into the trunk.I raised my eyebrows at my father, glancing down at the thick sweater, shower proof winter jacket and bulky mountain boots he had insisted I wear in preparation for the "extreme climate" as he liked to call it. He stared back at me, a "no arguments" expression on his face. I shrugged and ambled towards the car, sliding into the backseat and slamming the door. I pulled my iPod out of my jacket pocket, jamming the buds in my ear and turning up my current favourite band to full volume.

Mom, climbed into the front, turning around to glare at me and shake her head, no doubt able to hear the obscene lyrics screaming through the speakers. I ignored her, staring out of the window at the mountainous landscape. As my dad started the engine and sped out of the airport parkway, I wondered if the next 6 months of my life could be any worse than the previous.

* * *

We arrived at our "new" home shortly after dark, stopping outside a familiar traditionally built chalet, just on the outskirts of town. The place was pretty cute, cosy kind of; a house where I could remember my grandma baking cookies, and could almost picture a pie left outside on the window ledge, just above the faded purple flower boxes suspended from the sill. It was the kind of home I'd dreamed of living in, almost like the dinky drawings of houses that Amber and I used to draw back in kindergarten. Amber _adored_, this place. Mom and Dad were both still sitting in the front, staring up at the house. Their silence, and Moms teary eyes, led me to believe that the same thought had just passed through both their minds. Thinking about Amber made my throat feel tight and I pushed the memories to the back of my mind.

Probably feeling that at least one of us should hold it together and also in his excitement to be home, my father clambered out of the car and round to my mom's side. She gracefully got out and joined him, squeezing his hand as they turned to look at me expectantly.

"Come on Vi, lets get inside, I'm starving!" my dad opened my door, the freezing air gushing in over my legs.

I was completely oblivious, my gaze focused on two wooden swings hanging side by side from the old oak tree to the left of the chalet. I climbed out, still not fully aware, a numb feeling spreading through my body as memories flooded through my mind.

My mom must have been flicking through my thoughts, her savant ability spiralling out of control ever since the incident according to her, a lame excuse if there ever was one, I knew that she was intentionally checking up on me. Realising I had let my guard down, I shot my walls up, as high as they could go, not wanting her rummaging through my head a moment longer.

She sighed sympathetically and turned to my dad, "Max, maybe it was a really bad idea to come here" I frowned, angry at the conclusion she had come to from just five seconds in my mind. Was I really that obvious?

"Meel, what are you talking about?" my father balked, turning to face my mother, silencing her and turning to me before he too sighed and nodded understandingly, "Vi, do you want us to give you a minute?"

"Uh- ye-yeah, I'll be in in a sec, don't let me ruin your moment of nostalgia" I joked lamely before turning and heading to the swing set. Glancing back, I saw my parents cracking open the faded yellow front door, a warm glow escaping into the night.

Perching on one of the swings I leant back and stared up at the night sky, clear as could be, millions of stars twinkling back at me.

"Hey Ambie, I miss you so much, being here without you is going to kill me. And leaving me with mom and dad, wha- what were you thinking?" I spoke to the brightest star, my voice cracked halfway through, tears springing to my eyes, "What was _I_ thinking…"

The night air was sharp, I could almost feel the ice in my lungs as I drew a breath, staying out here for too long at this time would definitely make me ill. I shook my head bitterly and pulled myself up off the swing, mentally preparing myself for the onslaught of emotion I knew would hit me as soon as I entered the house.

As I walked the main room, warmth engulfed me, dad tending to a log fire that Pearl, the chalet maid, must have started for us. I noticed mom tucking into a blueberry muffin from a giant hamper that lay waiting on the counter top in the big open plan kitchen living room. The thought of eating right now made my stomach turn, as did the sight of the tens of photo frames my gran had scattered around the room, most of them showing two identical dark haired little girls, smiling cheekily at the camera. I could feel myself being to lose it and knew I had to get out of the room.

"I'm beat, sorry to leave you guys but I'm going to have to unpack in the morning" I faked a yawn and reached down to pick up my hand luggage which someone had thoughtfully brought in from the car.

"Night honey, you remember which room you're in right?" my mom came over, fussing with my hair, smoothing it down and stroking my cheek.

"Yeah mom, its fine, I'm going to take the attic room and you and dad are in grans room, just like we discussed" I shrugged away from her fretting and kissed my dad on the cheek before scarpering up the stairs, "Good night!"

I made my way along the hall, ignoring the incessant pull to the first room on my left, and up another flight of stairs to the attic guest room, which I had gladly claimed as my own. My parents had insisted on taking my grans room. Personally I found it creepy that my dad wanted to sleep in his dead mothers room but each to his own I guess. I was just happy that they had allowed me to turn the attic den into a bedroom, having always found the mountain views captivating as a child. It was also, conveniently, as far away as possible from any other bedroom in the house giving me ultimate privacy.

I flopped down on the plush double bed that had been placed right underneath the sky light. On the other side of the room, opposite the bed, was a window seat, looking out onto the ski slope and cable car on the other side of town. Staring around the attic I couldn't help but think once again of how much Amber would love this. I could almost hear her voice in my head, gushing over the "cute" bedspread, almost hear her tapping away on her phone, telling the world and its mother how the Stone twins finally had a window seat, the epitome of class.

Reaching down into my rucksack I pulled out the picture I'd kept stuffed at the bottom ever since it was taken. Two snub nosed, brunette girls, warm chocolate eyes scrunched up and pearly white straight teeth grinning like crazy through cupid bow lips. A stranger would have found it hard to distinguish between us, but I could tell. Even down to the last freckle I could tell you every difference between my sister and I. For starters, Amber was dead, and I - I was still here.

Feeling the familiar tidal wave of grief and guilt wash over me, I snatched the little blue case, the one I'd snuck out of my dad's bag just before we arrived, and ran into the ensuite bathroom, slamming the door. Leaning against the basin I opened the box, sliding out the razor and rolling up my sleeve before running the blade across my forearm, watching as the blood welled to the surface, the sweet pain consuming me, the feeling of guilt washed away with a single cut.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

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I woke disorientated, the sun streaming in through my window, lighting up the whole room in a hazy warm glow. In the few minutes between being asleep and fully awake I could kid my self that everything was normal, that I was back in LA. It felt like any minute now Amber would come breezing into the room, red faced and panting from her early morning run. But then my brain kicked out of the sleepy fog and reality came crashing down. I was not back home in my old room with Amber; I was in Wrickenridge, Colorado. I would never again hear Amber call me a lazy cow for not running with her. I would never again hear Amber, _period. _

"Violet, you gotta stop this", I mumbled, attempting to pull myself out of the depressive spiral I would soon be on; it wasn't even 9 a.m. I crawled out of bed and into the bathroom, looking at myself in the mirror above the basin. A girl with messy curled hair and red-rimmed deep brown eyes stared back. I looked a mess. There was a time when I wouldn't have left the house without doing my hair and applying makeup but that time had been and gone- now I just couldn't be bothered.

After brushing my teeth and splashing some water on my face I went to the massive walk-in closet that came as part of the attic room package. Where once this would have been a huge excitement in my life, I now just saw the masses of empty space; a reminder of the hole punched in my life six months ago. Ignoring the dark thoughts gnawing on my mind, I grabbed a grey long sleeve shirt, throwing a tee over the top and pairing them with some dark skinny jeans. I left my long hair loose around my shoulders and pulled on a pair of sneakers. Looking in the mirror I appraised my appearance and realised that in all honesty, I looked like a massive tramp.

"_Jheeze Vi, you've really let yourself go" _I could almost hear Ambers voice, sarcastic, blunt and unapologetic, vibrating through my head. I snorted and raised an eyebrow at my reflection, deciding to add some eyeliner, why not complete the grunge look I seemed to be sporting these days?

A knock at my bedroom door made me jerk; nearly poking my eye out with the brush, "Damn- Come in!" I attempted to correct my left eye, which now looked more Cleopatra than sleek kitten, not the look I was going for.

"Violet, I just thought I'd come check you were up" my dad, ever the present worrisome parent- he'd been hovering over me non stop the past six months, a total contrast to my mother who barely spoke to me. Then again, Amber had always been a lot closer to mom, I was more- well to be fair she'd been closer to both our parents, I had become the rebel twin, not really caring for either of their opinions, aiming to leave home as soon as I could. Yet now, I was stuck here, in this tiny town for the remainder of who knows how long, with my parents, who didn't understand how to deal with their remaining, moody, depressed, nearly adult daughter.

"Hey dad, I'm up" I stated the obvious, still fixing my eyeliner, awkwardly waiting for him to say what he needed to and leave. When he kept quiet I turned round and saw him gazing at the picture of Amber and I that was normally deep in the bottom of my backpack. His eyes glistened but he turned to me taking a deep breath, pushing a small smile onto his face.

"Mom's left for work already, I'm heading off in a bit, there's a list and some cash downstairs. Can you pick up some groceries whilst you're out and about? There's not much on there, I mean you don't have to, it's just we didn't have the stuff and well, I thought that since you had nothing else to do and-"

"It's fine dad, I can pick the stuff up, no biggie" I cut off his warbling, hating how he'd turned so weird on me again. When we'd arrived in Wrickenridge, only three short days ago, both my parents seemed to have become more open with me, acting like I was actually there. But now, just three days in and they were back to normal, tiptoeing round me as if I was a bomb about to explode, both of them scooting off to work early and leaving me alone.

"Oh okay, thanks honey. I'm off to work now, will probably be home late so don't wait up"

"That's okay" I shrugged, turning back to the mirror, "see ya"

He shook his head, frowning at the casual dismissal, and then strode out of my room, closing the door behind him.

* * *

An hour later, I found my self outside a coffee shop in the town centre, staring at a sign that displayed vacancies. Debating in my mind as whether to apply or not I decided it would be nice to have my own money and something to do in this dead end town so I strode in, heading straight for the counter. A guy, about my age, stood behind it. He was tall with curly blonde hair, the kind that most girls would swoon over, which he ran his hands through before smiling crookedly at me, perfect white teeth showing beneath his plump pink lips. But it was his eyes, a striking bottle green, framed with dark lashes, which caught my attention. How was it fair for a guy to have eyelashes that long? I felt self conscious, wishing for once, in a long long time, that I'd decided to put more make-up on this morning. I approached the counter and glanced down at his name badge- Ali, Coffee Maker Extraordinaire. I raised an eyebrow at his supposed job title.

"Dumb, I know. My friend Hannah thought it'd be hilarious to write it in permanent marker and the boss refuses to give me a new one" Ali, the so called extraordinary coffee maker, noticed my staring and grimaced, before holding out his hand, "Ali, and I must say I do make an amazing coffee" he winked.

I laughed, unexpectedly and grinned at him, "Violet, my coffee is pretty average, though I guess I'm just good at being modest"

"I only speak the best truths Sunshine, but what can I do for you? Coffee?" Ali smirked.

"Actually, I was coming in to enquire about the vacancy…" I shrugged, giving him a hopeful smile.

"Well this must be my lucky day! A hot new girl in town who wants to work, with me!" I blushed at his words, looking down at my sneakers. He just laughed and carried on, his tone less flirty now, "We do actually have a barista vacancy, can you make coffee?"

"Of course I can!" my embarrassment vanished as I scoffed at him.

"Well we have to ask, not all girls are capable of handling hot stuff" he winked at me again. Jheeze this guy was flirty; I was starting to regret mentioning the job. I didn't know if I could work with this every day. Luckily at that moment an older man came out from a back room. He looked Italian, his olive skin tone and dark hair contrasting with Ali's pale complexion. It was clear that they were somehow related though as the elder had the same striking green eyes as the younger.

"I hope my grandson isn't bothering you miss" my suspicions confirmed, the man had a definite Italian twinge to his voice and the two _were_ related.

"Not at all sir" why was I being so polite, what had happened to me today? "I was just enquiring about the vacancy and Ali was being kind enough to help me out" I smiled mockingly at the blonde boy, who looked relieved that I hadn't ratted him out.

"Ah, yes, yes the job display, I have this sign up all week and no one comes in to ask about it. You are the first one. When can you start?" the old man busies himself with cups, shooing Ali down to the other end of the counter.

"You want me to start? Just like that? No interview?" I looked up, confused, glancing at Ali who looks a lot less surprised than I guess I do.

"Ah no my dear, no interview necessary, I can see my grandson likes you, I heard you can make coffee, you seem like a bright girl, its not hard to pick up, why waste time with formalities!"

"But I- well- you don't even know my name?" I was stunned.

"Well actually, I do, you're Violet, I'm Ali, Alistair if you want to be formal about it, and this is my grandpa, Franco" Ali sidled up the side again, laughter in his eyes.

I glared at him, "You know what I mean!"

"Well do you want the job, yes or no?" Franco, a glimmer of humour in his eyes also, glanced at me.

"Well yeah, alright, if that's okay, like I'd love to" I stammered, embarrassed at my flustering, way to go sounding professional about it Violet.

"Great! We will see you tomorrow, 10 a.m." Franco dismissed me, leaning around to serve the waiting customers.

I turned and walked out of the store in shock, unable to believe that I'd just walked straight in and picked up a job, no questions asked. Well aside from the coffee question. Dazedly I walked across the street to the grocery store, picking up the items on my moms list, the mindless chatter of the shop assistant flying straight over my head. Exiting the store I headed back towards my house.

On the outskirts of the town centre I came across a green and parked myself on a small mouldy bench, hidden behind a manicured hedgerow. Pulling out a packet of cigarettes I lit one up, taking a drag and inhaling the smoke. To say I was a massive smoker would be lying. But since the accident, anything that was deemed detrimental to my health suddenly seemed very appealing. I didn't even really like smoking. Amber and I actually used to scream at mom when she pulled one out, but now, oh how things have changed now.

I took another drag, staring up at the darkening sky. Daylight didn't last long here, the mountains blocked out much of the sun, especially at this time of year. The stars could be seen, twinkling faintly in the twilight glow. I loved this time of day. The transition between day and night, it reminded my of myself, stuck in the phase between childhood and adulthood. Although in reality I'd be an adult soon, I couldn't feel any less like one. I felt like a little kid, confused, angry, scared, I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. And now I had a job. In a coffee shop, of all places. What was I doing?

Shouts pulled me out of my deep thoughts. Across the green, on the other side of a small stream, a group of people had arrived; four similar looking, extremely tall boys, kicking a soccer ball between them and three strikingly different girls, one of them carrying a folded blanket.

Hidden in my little alcove, they couldn't see me but I watched as the smallest girl, her blonde curls blowing in the breeze, spread the blanket down then squealed as the youngest of the tall guys grabbed her, nuzzling her neck. The middle girl said something and they all laughed, the boy with glasses smiling goofily at her, grabbing her hand. The taller girl ran for the ball, tackling the guy who had it before he reached for her, bringing her close and kissing her on the nose.

But it wasn't the three couples that had grabbed my attention. It was the fourth boy, the one on his own that caught my eye. His brothers might not have noticed but I did; I saw the pained expression on his face. The one I'd seen so much on myself. The one where you had to try and hold it together for your family, your friends, when really you just wanted to tear your insides out, run crying and sobbing until you felt numb. The huge hole that loneliness left you with.

That's what I saw on the fourth boys face. And when I looked at him a fraction longer, I recognized him instantly- Will Benedict.


	4. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone, thanks for all the wonderful reviews, they were so lovely and really made me want to carry on with this story :) I am so sorry this update is so late, things have been so hectic in life at the moment but I promise the next update will not take so long! Hope you enjoy the next chapter, and as always reviews are much appreciated :) **

* * *

**Chapter 3**

"Ali, how come you're so white" I asked nonchalantly, leaning over and scrubbing coffee rings off the glass table, spraying sugar granules over the floor. Working in the coffee shop had proved to be pretty easy yet uneventful, but Ali's company made the days zoom by. He had such a huge personality and just something about him made me feel comfortable and calm where I'd felt so tense and guilt ridden before.

"Haha, sunshine, what kinda question is that?!" Ali grinned at me.

"You know what I mean! How do you have an Italian grandpa yet still look like you'd need to use factor 50 in the sun" I winked at him. Over the past week I'd gotten used to his flirtatious ways, the banter between us at an all time high, as I'd learnt to hit him back with his own medicine.

"Honestly Vi, I do not know, probably down to my Scottish daddy. Did you know, I'm actually not a natural blonde; under all this, my hair is like crazy ginger!" he smirked, nudging me with his elbow. I swatted him with my tea towel.

"You are such a pain" I laughed light-heartedly, "are you ever serious?"

"Only when the time is right, if you know what I mean"

"I'm pretty sure I don't, would you care to elaborate, oh look here's your grandpa, you can let him in on the joke as well" I pointed to the back room, straight faced, where Franco was definitely not hiding. Ali, not aware of this, spun round, his face reddening but then sighing as he realised I was joking.

"And you say _I'm _a pain!" he moaned at me.

"Honey, I only deal it where it's due" I winked at him, moving on to the counter and wiping down the surface. Ali walked over to the door, flipping the sign to close the shop.

I'd been working in the coffee house for just over two weeks and had quickly got used to the way things were run. Franco generally left Ali and I to it, trusting his grandson to keep everything running smoothly. Franco himself spent a lot of time up in the mountains, hiking with his mountaineering group, or so he had said. This meant I was generally left alone in the shop with Ali. Since the incident, I'd found it hard to spend time around people for long periods of time, it was just so exhausting having to pretend that everything was okay and that I didn't feel like my world was crashing down. However with Ali, the feelings of emptiness inside me would disappear. Spending time with him had made me feel the most normal I had in months. I could almost see the girl I was before the incident re-emerging when I was around him.

After clearing up the shop floor and preparing the machines for the next day I got changed whilst Ali counted the days takings and put them into the little safe in the back room. We'd fallen into a routine, in the short amount of time we'd been working together; spending every evening stopping by the park, the one I'd spied on the Benedicts in, hanging out with Ali's friends. He had introduced me to them all straight after my first shift, tucking me under his arm and showing me off, almost like I was his brand new toy.

The group was fairly nice: two girls and three boys, excluding Ali. I got on relatively well with all of them, although I'd always preferred the company of guys to girls; Amber was the one with a clique of girl friends back home. From the outset I could tell that Hannah, one of the girls, a senior in the local high school, with her charcoal black waist length hair and huge baby blue eyes, had a massive crush on Ali. Her tiny friend Mara, also in high school, confirmed this for me, her russet ringlets bouncing around her head as she hurriedly whispered in my ear, her bright green eyes flickering all over the place as she giggled with the secret. I'd never been a lover of gossip, it was so exaggerated, but I guess this was more the obvious kind and it was sort of nice to be included in the girl talk of the group. The boys, Matt, Hannah's lanky older brother, Danny, Mara's boyfriend and Kyle, Ali's long suffering best friend, were all really great and I found myself slotting seamlessly into their circle.

Ali grabbed my bag off the floor, chucking it at my chest and shooing me out of the back door as soon as I came out of the bathroom. After double locking the shop up, we ambled down the road, heading towards the park.

"Want one?" Ali offered me a cigarette from the crumpled packet he'd pulled out of his pocket.

"Have I ever said no?" I smirked at him, sliding one out of the pack and holding it to my mouth as he lit it. Unintentionally I had turned into quite the smoker since arriving in Wrickenridge. Okay, so I wasn't like addicted, but just something about it made me feel a little bit better, all warnings of its problematic side effects from health classes flying straight out of my mind.

"So," Ali blew out a puff of smoke and turned to me, "how's everything at home?"

I just shrugged nonchalantly, taking another drag on my cigarette. Despite having not told Ali about Amber and the frustrating way my parents were treating me, he'd picked up on my dissatisfaction with my home life.

"Not good, huh?"

"Well, I'm just glad I have this job now, hanging around the house constantly was driving me crazy" I grimaced at him, then turn away distractedly. As much as it was nice to have a friend who seemed to care, talking about home always made me think about Amber and that inevitably led to bad things. I doubted having a full on crying breakdown in front of the closest friend I had in Wrickenridge who was also a guy, would do me any favours right now.

"Oh look, there's Hannah" I waved as I saw her raven-haired head coming out of the grocery store across the street.

"Hey Han" Ali reached out and hugged Hannah as she stopped in front of us. She blushed a deep red, which Ali was oblivious to as usual.

"Hey Hannah" I smiled tentatively at her. Knowing she had a full-blown crush on Ali made me uncomfortable whenever she saw me with him. I was probably being paranoid but she always seemed to have a look of extreme jealousy on her face whenever she bumped into us alone together. I'd thought about talking it out with her, reassuring her that my interests went no higher than friendship with Ali but I didn't feel we were close enough for that kind of heart to heart yet. Maybe I'd have to have words with Mara, who'd seemed a lot more open towards me since I'd started tagging along with the group.

"Hiya Al, Violet, you coming to the park? Mara just text me saying stuff is going down and to get there as soon as possible!" her blue eyes widened as she gushed out the drama.

"Just on our way there now as it goes" Ali, curious, ever one for a bit of theatrics, grabbed both our hands and tugged us faster down the street until we came to the green I had come to know as Millennium Park or "mil-park" as the others referred to it.

As we arrived I noticed that instead of sitting by the usual spot, under the trees at the far end of the park, our group was clustered at the other side, nearest the pond which doubled as an ice rink in the winter. They weren't alone however; I noticed none other than the tiny blonde girl with one of the giant Benedict brothers who I had glimpsed the other day. At first it looked like they were just milling around having casual conversation however this was clearly not the case as suddenly, from the other side of the park, we witnessed the Benedict boy launch himself at Kyle, a look of fury on his face. The blonde girl stood to the side, bouncing up and down, worry etched on her face. Matt was holding Danny back as he lunged towards the scrapping boys and suddenly it hit us what was happening and we sprinted over, Ali arriving first, me lagging behind last. Hannah ran to Mara, who looked on worriedly whilst Ali moved over to where Kyle was pounding the face of the youngest Benedict boy.

"What the hell is going on?" I paced towards Danny who Matt had left under the supervision of Mara before going to help Ali break up the fight.

"Kyle decided to be a top douchebag and flirt with Zed's girlfriend, standard behaviour for him really" Mara rolled her eyes, but still looked on anxiously at the two boys who had now been successfully prised apart by Ali and Matt but were still staring daggers at each other.

"Nah Benedict started it, why does he even come here, he knows this is our place" Danny shook his head angrily, his fists clenched.

"Danny, I love you, but sometimes you can be so pathetic" Mara swatted his arm.

A cry came from behind us and we turned to the forgotten blonde girl, Zed Benedicts girlfriend, who had run towards her boyfriend, now sporting a bruised eye and bloodied lip.

"Its okay Sky baby, I'm fine" Zed prised her tiny hands away from roaming his face and pulled her into a hug. The moment was tender and I looked away, feeling a surge of hatred for happy couples bubble inside me unexpectedly.

Ali turned away from where he had been muttering to Kyle and walked towards Zed, "Sorry about my dumb friend Benedict, he's a sucker for a pretty girl" Ali winks at tiny Sky but moves on hastily as Zed narrows his eyebrows, "It won't happen again, I'll make sure of it" he reaches for Zed's hand, which the towering boy ignores as he stares icily at Ali.

"Oh it won't happen again Cohen, and if it does, your friend here will be real sorry" Zed glares at Kyle then turns and strides off, his tiny girlfriend tucked under his arm.

"Woooo" whistles Kyle, "Tough guy, huh" he turns to us, his nose still bleeding, a small cut above his left eyebrow dripping dark red down over his eye, pulling a mock scared face.

"You're an idiot" I shake my head laughing.

"Yeah you really are, you know how the Benedicts are with their girls, what were you thinking?" Hannah tilts her head at him, astounded.

"That that Sky girl is some hot ass chick and she could do so much better than a stinking Benedict, for example me" Kyle grins cockily, flexing his arm muscles.

"Man you are such a douche" Matt knocks him over the head flippantly.

"But you all love me anyways" Kyle teases, then winces as he scrunches his nose from laughing, "Damn, my nose is in pain, that Zed sure can throw one"

"Your mom will go insane if you go home looking like that, come back to mine and clean up first dude" Ali picks up the bag he dropped in his hurry to break up the fight then tugs on Kyle's shirt pulling him away, "See you guys later on, I gotta get home and sort this mess out before my pops comes back"

After Ali leaves the others drift off, Danny and Mara mumbling something about a movie and Hannah and Matt saying their cousins from Denver were down so they had to head home. I was left in the park alone, not wanting to go home just yet, disappointed that our park session, that usually lasted so much longer, had been cut short.

I sat down on a bench next to the pond, pulling out and lighting another cigarette, inhaling the smoke, staring out across the grass, pondering the drama of the day. It was then I noticed an object on the floor where the boys had had their fight. Walking over I realised it was a bright blue binder. I picked it up, opening it and saw the name "Sky Bright" written on the inside cover. What a name, I chuckled to myself. Clutching the binder, I decided to go drop it in at the local store, someone in there would know the girl and could return it to her.

"Hey, that's not yours!" Just as I went to exit the park I heard a shout and felt a hand on my shoulder. Turning around, I came face to face with none other than Will Benedict.

"Uh, hi" I stuttered, glancing down at my feet.

"Amber?" Will looked at me astonished and I felt my heart lurch into my throat at her name. He thinks I'm her. Amber. He thinks I am my dead twin sister.

"Um…no, Violet…" I move awkwardly to leave before realising I have the stupid binder in my hands. I turn around thrusting it at him and rush out of the park, breaking into a run as I hear him calling behind me.

I don't stop running even when I reach the turning for my street. I run straight past it, up the hill leading towards the old mine town. I keep running until my legs ache and my lungs burn and my head feels like its about to explode. I run until I can no longer see the disappointment in Will Benedicts face as he realises I am not her.

I am not Amber. He did not see Amber today. Nor will he ever see Amber again.

And that is all my fault.


	5. Chapter 4

Hey everyone, sorry its late again! :( Been mega busy with work, not fun! Hope you enjoy the chapter xx

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Chapter 4

"Wait, wait, wait" Hannah's sceptical voice rings around the circle, "You're telling everyone you got attacked, in the woods, by an animal?"

"It's the easiest way okay Han, I can't deal with the questions" Kyle shakes his head, looking downtrodden. His lying and Hannah's gullible questions are too much for Mara to handle as she bursts out laughing, her peals of giggling added to as Ali, Matt and Danny join in. Kyle looks put out for a moment, his joke ruined, then grins as well, Hannah smiles, looking down at the grass embarrassed.

"Kyle! You lying little twerp" she bats at his arm good-naturedly.

"Oh Han, you are too easy to deceive, I can't believe you actually thought he'd tell people that?" Mara, still giggling, leans against Danny. Hannah blushes but then Matt jumps in, moving the conversation on to the coming weekends antics.

I'm not paying attention, still thinking about the day before and my encounter with Will Benedict. A nudge on my shoulder brings me back to the present and I turn to see Ali glancing at me worriedly.

"You okay Vi?" he says it quietly so that only I can hear. I'm grateful, not wanting the others, who haven't noticed the fact that I am not all there today, to realise something's wrong.

"Yeah I'm fine Ali" I say it a little too brightly and he raises his eyebrows suspiciously.

"You're an awful liar"

"Seriously, I'm fine, just a little tired is all, I went for a run last night" I fake a yawn. The last bit was true anyways, even if it was unplanned.

"Mhmm okay sunshine, if you say so" Ali clearly doesn't believe me but the rest of the group seem to be paying more attention now so he lets it go. I know he'll probably try and bring it up later so I make an effort to perk up and join in with the others gossiping.

"Hey, you should have seen Zed at school today" Hannah fills us in on the days events, "he looked pissed"

"I heard his brothers were real mad when they saw his face. Nice one Kyle, you know how creepy the Benedict brothers are!" Mara punches Kyle lightly on the arm.

"Come on guys, lighten up, the Benedicts are not creepy" Ali sighs exasperated.

"Yeah honestly, they aren't that bad" I surprise everyone, and myself, by contributing to the conversation for the first time today.

"What? You know the Benedicts?" Hannah gapes at me.

"Well I-uh, I used to come here in the summer to visit my gran. We- I mean I used to hang out with them sometimes, my gran was a water sports fan I guess" I shrug it off, not revelling in the attention I was now receiving.

"Oh yeah they're all amazing at water sports. Seeing them all on kayaks sure used to brighten up my Saturdays working down at the river café!" Mara smirks as Danny shoots her a glare but then reaches over and musses his hair. I sigh in relief; glad the attention has been diverted off of me before any awkward questions start about the Benedicts.

"Speaking of kayaks, you guys still up for chilling at mine tomorrow night, my parents are out" Ali wades into the conversation.

"Yeah, because kayaks and parties sure do relate" Kyle rolls his eyes.

"Well someone had to divert this conversation because I was about to sleep into the next century, the Benedicts really aren't all that"

"Al, were you not the one just defending them?" Matt laughs.

"Details, details" Ali waves his hand in the air.

"Well speaking of Benedicts, look who just arrived" Danny nods towards the far side of the green where three of the Benedict brothers have ambled in. I recognize Will and Zed, having only seen them the previous day but it takes me a second to realise that the brother carrying the soccer ball is Xav.

"In that case, I think its best if I head off, I definitely didn't leave things on good terms with Zed yesterday and I cannot go home with a bloodied nose tonight" Kyle stands up, brushing the grass off his pants.

"Yeah we better head off too. Mom's invited Aunt Laura and the kid round so that means the scrawny little punk'll be rummaging through my shit if we don't leave right now Han" Matt stretches out and jumps up, hauling Hannah with him.

"See you tomorrow hunnies" Hannah blows us all air kisses then the three of them are gone in a flash.

* * *

The four of us left sit on the grass a little while longer, chatting about the weekend and Ali's planned gathering. We watch the Benedicts for a while, the three of them messing around with the ball, passing it back and forth. They stay a while but as the sun starts to set they head off. Not long after my phone buzzes, my mom telling me to hurry home if I want dinner.

"Well I'm headed off guys" I push myself up off the grass, reaching down and grabbing my bag.

"Want me to walk you home?" Ali goes to stand up.

"No its fine, thanks though Ali. I'm probably going to ring a friend back in LA so wont be much fun" I lie, for some reason wanting to be on my own, "See you tomorrow at work though?"

"Yeah sure thing sunshine, bright and early!" he grins at me, relaxing back down on the grass.

I wave to the others and head back towards the street, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it up. Its my favourite time of day, the sky is a pinkish blue, flocked with birds, almost like a postcard with the snow capped mountains in the background. This view was one of the reasons I agreed to move out here to Colorado, leaving what little life I had back in LA. As much as I loved living in the city, I was my father's daughter and something about the mountains and open air made me feel so at ease. The majestic scenery of Wrickenridge always blew me away so living here permanently was something I happily agreed to despite feeling reluctance to every other reason for our move.

I'm so busy with the thoughts in my head that I don't notice Xavier Benedict standing outside the grocery store until I literally walk straight into him.

"Violet?!" his surprise turns into the lazy grin I remembered from all the summers spent out in the forest with him, running around teasing Yves as kids and then racing through the trees as if training for a marathon as we grew older.

"Hey Xav, long time no see huh" I smile back, my cigarette still in hand.

"I was hoping I'd bump into you at some point after Will mentioned seeing you yesterday. What are you doing here?" his enthusiasm and the fact that I haven't seen him in about four years almost make me forget about my encounter with Will the day before. He reaches out to hug me and I respond lightly, hoping he doesn't notice my reluctance at the close contact.

"We just moved back here, dad had the cabin and LA was getting so crazy. Its not like we had school or any ties there so just seemed like the right time to make the move. Plus dads been itching to come back ever since gran died and left him that cabin" I shrug, taking another drag of my cigarette, hoping to appear calm and cool, not showing the mini break down I was having in the hope he wouldn't ask his next question.

"So where's Amber?" why, for once could someone decide to not be so predictable.

"Oh uh, she stayed back in LA. She got a place in the school there, studying-"

"Let me guess- drama? She's such a queen" I hadn't noticed Will had left the shop and was now standing just behind me. I turned at his comment, preparing to defend my sister, revealing her actual location, but then I caught the smirk on his face and rolled my eyes.

"You guessed it. She's loving it"

"I can't believe you didn't stay with her. You two were inseparable as kids!" Xav looks astonished.

"Yeah, I guess in high school we just kind of drifted" I look to the pavement, staring hard at a piece of gum and dropping my cigarette, mushing it on the floor, willing myself not to cry. I look up and catch a frown on Wills face before he straightens it out into a sympathetic grimace, yet I still see the questioning in his eyes.

"Man, that sucks, it must be hard being so far apart" Xav, oblivious to his brothers scepticism, shakes his head.

"Um yeah, though I guess spending those summers in New York every year halfway through high school got me prepared for it huh" I smile wanly.

"Yeah true, you abandoned us girl, it's been way too long since we saw you!" Xav hugs me again, "and I have so much to tell you"

"Too much for one day Xav, we need to get home! You'll have to come over sometime Violet, I'm sure mom would love to see you. And uh, bring Amber, you know, if she's ever here" Will stares at me intensely, "tell her I said hi, won't you?"

"Um, yeah sure thing. Guess I'll see you around, bye Xav, Will" I nod at them both, hurrying off before Xav hugs me again.

"See you soon wonder girl" Xav calls after me, his nickname from our childhood making me smile at the memories it brings. But then I think back to the look on Wills face, as if he knew I was lying about Amber.

I don't even know why I'd lied. Well I did. I just couldn't face the pity. And having to explain what had happened, I couldn't do it. The mountains had always been a kind of sanctuary for me. I knew that revealing what had happened back home, here in Wrickenridge would somehow taint the air. Once the words came out here, nowhere would feel so tranquil. I knew that the small amount of calm I'd felt since arriving, the normal routine I'd got used to, would be shattered in an instant if I spoke to anyone about that awful day.

So instead I kept it all bottled up, and ran for home, like the coward I knew I always was.


	6. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone, heres the next update. I decided to do it in Wills POV just to spice things up a little ;) and also think it gives a bit of background, sorta explains things a bit. let me know what you think of it and if I should include more of Will in the future? Once again, reviews would be fabulous! Enjoy :) xx**

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**Chapter 5**

"Zed, if you don't hurry up we're going without you!" Xav called from the drivers seat as we waited in the car for our youngest brother to leave the house.

"Jheeze, why does he always take such a long time" I muttered just as Zed bounded out the front door and down the steps.

"Sorry guys, Sky was just telling me something, she's being really weird lately" he opened the back door and clambered in, all goo-goo eyed over his soulfinder.

"Well she'll be fine, she's spending all day with Crystal and they're meeting us for lunch later" Xav glanced at him, sympathetic, his annoyance at having to wait disappearing, the same look flashing across his face as he spoke about his one true love.

I felt the deep pang of jealousy I often got when my brothers spoke so casually about their soulfinders. It wasn't that I resented their happiness. I was just desperate to find my own soulfinder and seeing how happy my siblings were with theirs made the pain of being alone even worse. In an attempt to end the conversation I reached across and pressed the radio on, turning the volume up full as Xav pulled out of our driveway and head into town. My brothers seemed to sense my discomfort and quietened down, the three of us listening to the radio in silence.

* * *

We were meeting Uriel at his apartment then heading into the city centre to do some dreaded shopping. The trip was more out of duty, our parents upcoming anniversary a cause for presents, and Xav had suggested we visit Uriel while we were at it. We hadn't seen a lot of our elder brother recently, his work in the city with the Savant Net taking up huge amounts of his time. I was relieved to be meeting him, especially as Sky and Crystal had decided to come and meet us for lunch after doing whatever girly shit they had planned for the morning. As much as I loved my brothers' soulfinders, being the fifth wheel at a romantic lunch was not something I particularly wanted to experience. Us guys had decided to get our shopping done as quick as possible then Uriel and I were heading off to a bar downtown to meet some of his old college friends, leaving the lovebirds to their meal.

"So Zed, did Will tell you we saw Violet Stone yesterday?" Xav broke the silence, turning the music down a notch.

"Violet _Stone,_ as in Amber Stone's twin, as in Amber the-girl-Will's-had-a-crush-on-since-forever Stone?!" I could see Zed gaping at me from the backseat.

"Shut up brother, I have not-" I try to defend my self.

"Yup, that's the one" Xav cuts across me, grinning. I sit back, rolling my eyes, silent as Xav reveals more about what happened the previous day.

"No way! Where? Was Amber with her?"

"Just outside the grocery store. No apparently she's back at school in L.A. I wonder why Violets not there too?" Xav wonders aloud.

"That's weird, I always remember them as inseparable, well except when Will was around" Zed winks at me through the rear-view mirror.

"Okay okay, enough about that" I glare back.

"You know it's true Will. You were probably the only one who could prise Amber away from Violet. Your little summer romances" Xav makes kissy faces at me.

"I think you'll find it was actually you running off in the woods with Violet that caused the separation" I shoot back as Xav laughs.

"Well I think we all know that you were the real reason Amber never went to camp with Violet those last few summers aye Will" Zed pipes up from the back.

"Lets not go there baby brother" I call back, mockingly.

"If you insist, but back to your encounter yesterday. Is Violet still hot?" Despite us all knowing that Zed would never look at another girl the way he does Sky, aspects of his former player self will still suddenly appear when he's alone with us, something I always find reassuring about the whole soulfinder concept. Its nice to know that there is some choice in the matter, that we aren't just slaves to the love bug for the rest of our lives.

"Yeah she is" I surprise myself by saying.

"Well you would say that, you thought Amber was the best thing since sliced bread" Zed rolls his eyes, turning his attention to Xav, "what did you think bro?"

"Of course she was, if anything she's hotter. But like I obviously don't see her like- _that_ at all" Xav stumbles over his words. This is surprising as he's usual the smooth talker out of the three of us, but then I remember how he and Violet were close enough to be siblings and can see his discomfort in the conversation.

"I can't say she's changed a lot in the three years since we've seen her" I comment finally.

Our conversation cuts off as we arrive outside Uriel's apartment complex. Xav pulls into the underground parking lot and we make our way back outside to the front of the building on foot to meet Uriel at the entrance. After Zed spots him chatting up some blonde girl outside a café across the road, we kill his buzz and head off to get the shopping over with as soon as possible.

* * *

Two and a half hours later and we've finally managed to couple together several items for our parent's anniversary. Sky and Crystal had finished their tasks for the day and had come to meet us early to help pick the final present we wanted to buy. Not only was it our parents' anniversary coming up, but also Yves and Phee's and we'd decided to chip in together and buy a joke present for them along with the real presents we'd already bought. It had been Xavs idea to come to the home depot store but he hadn't told us why. Instead he was on some kind of mission, hurtling around the store, the five of us trailing after him.

"Babe, please, what are you even looking for?" Crystal yanked Xav to a halt by the hand he was clutching hers with.

"Okay, well, you're all gonna think this is really lame and I know its probably a really crap idea but I thought it'd be funny and-"

"Christ, spit it out Xavier" Zed rolled his eyes.

"Gnomes!" Xav exclaims gleefully then points over to a display where dozens of garden gnomes are perched around a fake pond.

"Your soulfinder has officially gone mad" Sky smirks at Crystal.

"Tell me about it" Crystal groans back.

"What are you talking about Xav?" Uriel stares at him exasperatedly.

"Hear me out" Xav holds his hands up, "Since Yves and Phee have officially moved in together, I think its only right that they have some reminders of us littered around the place. So I propose everyone picks a gnome that resembles them and then we hide them round their new garden!" None of us have the heart to tell Xav that his idea is pretty lame but then I hear a snicker behind us and turn to see none other than Violet Stone, eyebrows raised, staring pointedly at Xav.

"Honestly, I'm disappointed" she smirks at him. I notice Crystal frowning at the girl who, to her, appears to be flirting with her soulfinder. Out of the corner of my eye I can also see Sky, with a similar expression, lean forward and snatch Zeds hand possessively. Not wanting to start a scene in the middle of a garden centre I step forward. Instantly I feel the pressures of a headache growing in my mind but try and push it down.

"Crystal, Sky, this is Violet, she's a, well a baby friend I guess you could say?" I gesture to the three girls, indicating who is who.

"Crystals my girlfriend" Xav snaps out of his momentary speechlessness and wraps an arm around his soulfinder, who's frown instantly relaxes.

"And this is my little Sky" Zed raises their clasped hands up as if trying to prove something to Violet.

"Not gonna introduce me to your boyfriend then Will?" Violet glances between Uriel and I mockingly, a cigarette that I hadn't noticed until now held daintily between her fingers. The pounding in my head is getting louder now.

"Ha ha very funny" I roll my eyes, but wince as the warning bells, indicating danger clang in my head. I glance around, searching for anything that could be causing a potential threat.

"I'm their brother, Uriel" he reaches forward, as if to shake her hand.

"I do remember you. Like I did spend most of my summers in your backyard" Violet stares at Uriel scathingly. For some reason the tone of this conversation is seriously awkward and feels tense. I then realise that its not the tone of the conversation but my savant ability to sense danger that is making me feel apprehensive.

"What are you doing here?" Xav breaks the silence, as usual.

"Just browsing, wanted to buy a gnome that looks like me so I can stick it in Ambers bed when she comes home" Violet deadpans. Crystal giggles at this, Xav and Zed chuckling along with her but I notice that Sky's frown has not left her face since Violet arrived.

"Interesting. How is Amber?" I instantly regret my question as Zed raises his eyebrows at me and Xav smirks.

"Oh, I remember you now, Amber's sister!" Uriel decided now is the time to realise who he's talking to.

"They're twins actually" Xav corrects him, grinning at the fact he knows something Uriel doesn't.

"Yeah, well its been nice talking to you guys but I swear I just heard my mom calling me. Better run. Laters!" A pained expression flashes across Violets face before she turns, waves and hurries off, leaving only a waft of cigarette smoke and faint perfume behind.

We all stare after her, surprised at her sudden exit.

"Well that was sufficiently awkward" Zed says it how it is. My headache has numbed now, slowly drifting away, telling me the danger has passed; I breathe easily again.

"She seems um nice?" Crystal shrugs.

"I can't believe that she's the little squirt who used to throw mud pies at me through the window" Uriel shakes his head. We all burst into conversation at this, Xav denying his involvement in destroying Uriel's room with his childhood friend. The only one not taking part is Sky, and we fall silent as she looks away from the direction Violet had exited in.

"You okay baby?" Zed nudges his tiny girlfriend.

"There was something so sad about her", Sky mutters in a tiny voice.

"What do you mean?" I step forward, knowing this must have something to do with the frown that's ghost is still etched on her face.

"Her colours were so, well dull. I've never seen anything like it. I feel so drained right now, Zed. If this is how Violet feels all the time them something must be seriously wrong" Sky looks worried now.

"I'm sure it's nothing sweetheart" Zed puts an arm around Sky comfortingly.

"Well back to my gnome idea" Xav tactically steers the conversation away from the awkward encounter, leaving Zed to comfort Sky in a little more privacy.

I don't mention the deep feeling I got. The one that made me feel as though something was, to quote Sky, "seriously wrong". The warning bells in my head had never worked in such a moving way before. I suddenly realise that the danger my mind was trying to warn me of was Violet herself. It had to be. That intense headache had never happened before. It had to be Violet who had caused it. This thought, coupled with Sky's comment on the colours of emotion surround Violet make me determined to discover what it is that caused her to feel like such a threat. Something about her screamed out that she was hiding things and I vowed to find out before my family ended up in danger as a result.


End file.
